Punjabi books absent from Chinar Book Festival

The Jammu and Kashmir Punjabi Sahit Sabha welcomes the Chinar Book Festival at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), Srinagar, organised by the National Book Trust.

However, it is disappointing to note that while books in various languages are on display, Punjabi language books have been completely overlooked.

Punjabi is an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir’s culture and is widely spoken across J&K, especially in hilly and border areas.

Over the past century and a half, Punjabi writers have contributed more than 400 works encompassing poetry, short stories, novels, plays, and folk literature.

For the last century, the Jammu and Kashmir Punjabi Sahit Sabha has been tirelessly promoting the Punjabi language and literature in Kashmir.

The exclusion of Punjabi language books and writer organisations from the Chinar Book Festival is a shocking oversight that has deeply hurt the Punjabi-speaking community in Kashmir.

We earnestly request the Lt Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha to address this matter, as similar exclusionary practices have been observed in Radio, Doordarshan, and the J&K Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages.

Particularly concerning is Radio Kashmir Srinagar, which has been neglecting Punjabi programmes by recycling old content and failing to utilise allocated budgets for over a year.

The Jammu and Kashmir Punjabi Sahit Sabha urges the concerned officials to investigate this issue thoroughly and take prompt action to rectify it.

Mangat Singh Jugnu

President, J&K Punjabi Sahit Sabha

Harpal Singh Pali

Secretary, J&K Punjabi Sahit Sabha

Harmeet Singh

Senior Member JKPSS

J&K, Srinagar